Speed change mechanism



Nov. 26, 1963 K. G. LYTTON 3,111,857

SPEED CHANGE MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 3, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR [Um/1m??? lrrrozr My BYMQ/w I W ATTORNEYS Nov. 26, 1963 K. s. LYTTON SPEED CHANGE MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR fizzzm #517701 ATTORNEYS Original Filed Dec. 3, 1959 N WQRW Nov. 26, 1963 K. G. LYTTON SPEED CHANGE MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Dec. 5, 1959 $5 I mvsmoa final 272V 2770 WWW 91 Mad ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,111,857 SPEED QHANGE MECHANISM Kenneth G. Lyttou, Gastonia, Nil, assignor to Fiber (Zontrols Corporation, Gastonia, P i-(1., a corporation of North (Jaroiina Originai application Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 857,149, new Patent No. 2,995,783, dated Aug. 15, 1961. Divided and this application lane 14, 1961, Ser. No. 117,116

This invention relates to textiles, and, more particularly, to improvements in fiber feeding and opening equipment. More especially, this invention relates to improvements in mechanism for changing the delivery rate of a textile fiber feeder. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 857,140, filed December 3, 1959, now Patent No. 2,995,783.

Fiber feeders are known in the art and usually include a large hopper having its bottom defined by an endless conveyor or apron which moves the fibers in the hopper toward one side thereof and against an upwardly-inclined spike apron. The fibers are caught on the spikes of the spike apron and carried upwardly out of the hopper. Adjacent and in close proximity to the upper portion of the spike apron is an oscillating Sargent comb which removes the bulk of the fibers from the apron spikes and permits the balance to be carried upwardly over the upper end of the apron. Rotating in close adjacency to the upper end of the spike apron is a doffer which strips the small tufts of fibers from the spike apron and allows the removed fiber tufts to fall downwardly through a discharge opening. Such a feeder performs not only a feeding function, but also a fiber opening function.

It is, of course, desirable to provide some means for varying the feed or delivery rate of the feeder, such means preferably being both manually and automatically adjustable. In fiber feeders heretofore constructed, however, the rate of movement of both aprons, the Sargent comb, and the doffer, were correlated so that a decrease in the rate of movement of one of such elements resulted in a proportionate decrease in the rate of movement of the remaining elements. Thus, if the rate of movements of all of the elements was slowed, in order to decrease the actual delivery rate of the feeder, the feeder did not maintain a proper opening of the fibers. Moreover, speed change mechanisms heretofore employed with fiber feeders have been quite expensive.

it is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide improved mechanism for varying the actual delivery rate of a fiber feeder while maintaining a proper opening of the fibers being fed by the feeder.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved speed change mechanism for a fiber feeder which is adjustable both manually and automatically.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved fiber feeder which accomplishes the foregoing objects at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of apparatus embodying this invention for feeding a textile card.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side View of a portion of the machine shown in FIGURE 1, and with a side doors of the machine removed to illustrate interior parts.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2. l

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the con- 2 trol s of the machine shown in FIGURE 1 and illustrating the use thereof in feeding a textile card.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 2 and 5 of the drawings, there is shown a fiber processing and feeding ma chine it) of a type well-known in the art. The machine includes a housing having side and rear walls 12 and 14 partly defining a hopper =16, best shown in FIGURE 5, provided with an opening 18 adjacent its top through which fibers are deposited, usually by hand. At the bottom of the hopper 16 is an endless conveyor 20 which includes front and rear rollers 22; and 24. The conveyor 20 moves the fibers forwardly into engagement with an upwardly and forwardly extending spiked apron 26 trained over upper and lower rollers 28 and 30. The apron 26 picks up the fibers and moves them upwardly out of the hopper 16. Adjacent the top of the apron 26 is a Sargent comb 32 which oscillates in close proximity to the spiked apron to strip therefrom surplus fibers so that upwardly beyond the comb the apron carries a web or mat of fibers of generally uniform thickness. In front of the upper roller 28 of the apron 26 is a rotating doifer 34 which strips the fibers from the apron and allows them to fall downwardly, in opened condition, through a discharge opening 36 beneath the doffer.

Disposed beneath the discharge opening 36 of the machine it? is a weighing receptacle or scale pan 38 that is generally rectangular in plan view. The pan 38 is suspended, by straps 443, from the ends of the parallel arms 42 of a yoke-like scale beam 44 which straddles the discharge opening 36. The beam 44 is pivotally mounted on fulcrums or antifriction bearings 46 on the outer sides of the side walls 12 of the machine 10. Extending rearwardly of the beam fulcrums 46 is a beam counterbalance arm 43 having a threaded extension 50. Adjustable along the extension 54 is a large tubular counterweight 52 which can be maintained in a fixed positioned of adjustment by stop nuts 54 engaged with the opposite ends thereof. Between the counterweight 52 and the fulcrum point 46 of the beam 44!- is a smaller counterweight 5d slidable along the beam and cooperating with an indicia scale 58 thereon. The counterweight 56 constitutes a Vernier adjustment and preferably the scale 58 is provided with indicia corresponding to /2 ounce weight adjustments.

Secured to the side 12 of the machine housing over the outer end of a beam arm 42 is a U-shaped permanent magnet 60 positioned to attract and pull the end of the arm 42 upwardly, such end being formed of a magnetic material (as shown) or having a plate of such material secured thereto. Guided for vertical movement between the magnet arms is a stop 62 adapted to project below the lower ends of the magnet arms for varying the spacing between the scale arm 42 and the magnet 60. The stop 62 is vertically adjustable by means of a screw 64 which swivelly carries the stop and threadedly engages a plate 66 secured to the side 12 of the machine housing.

From this construction it will be seen that the nearer the beam arm f'l to the magnet 69, the greater the attractive force exerted by the magnet on the beam arm, and vice versa. Preferably, a scale (not shown) is associated with the magnet es and the stop 62 and provided with indicia for measuring, in ounces, the attractive force between the magnet and the beam arm 42 when the latter is en aged with the stop. In actual practice, the stop 62 is adjusted so that such attractive force is about 4 ounces.

By reason of the magnet so, the action of the bearn arm 42 in pulling away therefrom wiil be very rapid, almost a snap action, so that the entire weighing mechamsm is very accurate.

The bottom of the scale pan 33- is formed by a pair of dumping doors '79 hinged to the lower edges of the Patented Nov. 26, 1963 longitudinal side walls of the pan so that the doors may be swung downwardly to dump the contents of pan. Secured in an upright position on the outer side of an end wall of tr e pan 3% is the cylinder of a single-acting reciprocating fluid motor "7?, arranged to extend its piston rod 7d when fluid pressure is supplied to the cylinder through a hose F6 from any suitable source. A link 73 is pivotally connected to a crank arm 3 on each door and to the corresponding end of a cross bar 82. on the end of the piston rod 74 of the motor '72. The arrangement is such that when the piston rod 7 is extended the dumping doors 7% are held shut, but when the piston rod is retracted the dumping doors open. The supply and exhaust of fluid under pressure to the motor '72 may be controlled by a two-Way solenoid valve 84 (FEGURE 5) connected into the hose '76, or into a supply conduit (not shown) leading thereto. The arrangement is such that when the valve 34 is de-energized the motor 72 is supplied with pressure fluid and the doors 7% are held shut, and when the valve is energized the supply is cut oil and the motor is exhausted so that the doors fall open. An appropriate spring (not shown) may be employed to constantly urge the doors 7% to open, and thus hasten their opening on relief of pressure in the motor "72.

The foregoing weighing and dumping mechanisms are similar in many respects to those shown in the copending application of Lytton et 211., Serial No. 348,406, now Patent No. 3,671,262.

The machine It} is driven by a conventional electric motor do that may be secured to the housing front wall 33 and has a belt drive 9i? to one end of the dofier shaft 92. The Sargent comb 32 is driven by a crank arm on an eccentric arrangement (not shown) mounted directly on the same end of the dolfer shaft 92. The spiked apron 26, and also the hopper bottom conveyor 2t? which is driven by a belt 94 from the shaft of the lower apron roller 3t), are driven by a variable speed drive between the other end of the doiier shaft 92 and an end of the shaft of the upper roller 23 f the spiked apron. This variable speed drive includes a variable elfective diameter sheave 9d fixed to the end of the doi er shaft 92. The sheave 96, as is well-known in the art, includes two halves or parts hi having inclined opposed edges 1% to form the side walls of a circumferential groove for receiving a V-belt M92, as shown in FIGURE 4. The two parts $3 of the sheave 96 are constantly urged toward each other by a spring 18 4 so as to increase the effective diameter of the sheave as respects the belt Hi2. it will be seen, however, that when a sul'licient pulling force is exerted on the belt W2, it will spread the parts $8 to reduce the effective diameter of the sheave 95. When the effective diameter of the sheave 96 is so reduced the belt H22 will drive another part at a lower speed than when the effective diameter of the sheave is increased.

Rotatably mounted on the end of the shaft of the upper roller 2-8 for the spiked apron 26 is a gear housing res enclosing a gear 168 fixed on the shaft, as shown in FlGURE 3. A pinion 110, meshing with the gear 198, is journal-led in the side walls of the housing and has a projecting stub shaft carrying a sheave 112 over which the belt .ltlZ is trained to drive the spiked apron 26. A single-acting reciprocating fluid motor F.1d, adapted to retract its piston rod 116 on the supply of fluid pressure to its cylinder through a hose .118 from a suitable source, has the closed end of its cylinder connected by a link 12% to the gear housing 1% at a location adjacent the pinion gear 110. The end of the piston rod 116 of the motor 114 is pivotally connected to a lever 122 which has one end thereof pivotally connected, at 124, to the side 12 of the machine housing for limited angmlar adjustment. The other end of the lever 122 canries a spring-pressed pin 126 adapted to project, when aligned therewith, into any one of an arcuateiy-arranged series d of recesses or holes in a quadrant-plate 13L fixed to the side wall 12 of the machine housing.

From the foregoing construction it will be seen that when fluid pressure is supplied to the motor 114i and the pin 126 is in a hole 123, the rod 115 will retract and swing the gear housing 1% in a direction to increase the distance betv can the sheaves 96 and 112, thus spreading the parts 98 of the sheave 96 and reducing the driven speed of the sheave 112. When the motor is exhausted the piston rod 116 extends, because of the extending force exerted the eon by the belt 102, and thus allows the parts 9:? of the sheave 96 to move toward each other and increase the driven speed of the sheave 112 (as shown in dotted lines in FlQURE 2). The speed of the sheave 112, and consequently the spiked apron 2d and the conveyor 25;, can also be adjusted, in either the pressurized austed condition of the motor 114, by manually chan mg the angular position of the lever 122 and re loci n it in place by engaging the pin 25 in a selected of the holes The supply and exhaust of pressure fluid to and from the motor lid is controlled by a two-way solenoid valve 132 (FZGURE 5) connected into the holes HS or into a supply conduit (not shown) leading thereto. The valve 13?. is arranged so that when it is (ls-energized, pressure fluid is supplied to the motor ild thus driving the machine it? at slow speed, and when the valve 132. is energized, the supply of fluid pressure is shut off and the motor 114 exhausted thus driving the machine at high speed. Preferably, the weighing and speed change mechanisms are enclosed in a compartment on the side of the machine 10 which is closed by a door 134.

Beneath the weigh pan 38 the sides 12 of the machine housing are extended, as at 135, to form the sides of a chute 136 adapted to receive batches of fibers dumped from the pan. The chute 136 is generally rectangular in horizontal section, approaching the plan configuration and size of the weigh pan 33, and has downwardly and forwardly inclined fiat front and rear walls 138 and 140. The inclination of the chute 36 may be of the order of 40 to the vertical.

At the bottom of the chute 1'35 is an endless conveyor having a horizontal belt 11.42 trained over front and rear rollers 144 and 3146 journalled in the front extensions 135 of the sides 12 of the machine housing. The bottom or rear wall 14%; of the chute 136 depends into close proximity of the conveyor belt 142, as shown in FIGURE 5, while the front extensions 13S depend therebelow. Adjacent and above the front roller 144- of the conveyor 142 is a press roll 14-8 adapted to ride on fibers being carried forwardly out of the bottom of the chute 136 on the belt 142-. The press roll 248 is maintained in position by end stub shafts received in vertical guideway notches 15%} in the front extensions 135 of the sides 12 of the machine housing. The upper or front wall 138 of the chute 135 depends into close adjacency with the rear side of the press roll 148, so that the latter essentially forms the lower portion of the front wall of the chute. It will be seen that as the upper reach of the conveyor belt 142 moves forwardly, it will feed fibers out of the chute in a relatively thin flat web or stream.

In use of the apparatus, the front roller 144 of the conveyor 1 2 is positioned closely adjacent the (feed rolls 152 of a card 154, only a portion of which is illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 5. The card feed rolls 152 receive the web emerging from beneath the press roll 148 and feed it to the conventional licker in 156 of the card. The conveyor 14-2 is driven by or in synchronism with the card 154 by means of an appropriate drive train 157 (not shown in detail) between the card and the stub shaft of one of the conveyor rollers 144 or 146.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 of the drawings, the motor 86 is supplied with power, from any appropriate source of three-phase power, by the conductors 158 which have three sets of normally-open contacts of a motor control relay 160 interposed therein. The relay is controlled by a circuit which includes the energizing coil of the relay 160, a normally-closed cam operated switch 162, a weigh switch 164, and a manually-operable switch 166, all connected in series across an appropriate source of power, e.g.., a transformer 168, by conductors 170, 172, 174i, 176, 178-, 131i, .182 and 183. The weigh switch 164 may be in the form of a conventional microswitch mounted on the side 12 of the machine housing above the arm 42 of the scale beam 44. The arrangement is such that when the arm 42 of the beam 44 is engaged with the stop as associated with the magnet 60, the weigh switch 154 is closed, but when any selected predetermined weight of fibers has been received in the weigh pan 38 and pulls the arm 42 away from the stop 62, the switch 164 is open.

From the foregoing arrangement it will be seen that when the switch 166 is closed and the weigh pan 38 is empty, the circuit which includes the energizing coil of the relay 16% will be closed so that the normally-open contacts of the relay in series with the conductors 158 will close, and the motor 86 will drive the machine to feed fibers into the weigh pan 38. When the latter receives its predetermined weight of fibers the weigh switch 164 will open and the relay 160 will be de-energized, thus stopping the motor 86 and further feeding the fibers into the weigh pan.

Preferably, a normally open-cutoff door 184 is mounted on a horizontal shaft 186 journalled in the side walls 12 of the machine housing immediately to the rear of the front Wall 88' of the machine and above the discharge opening 36. The cylinder of a single-acting reciprocating fluid motor 138 is pivotally mounted, as at 199, to the side wall 12 of the machine housing, as shown in FIG- DRE 2. The end of the piston rod 192 of the motor 183 is pivotally connected to a crank arm 194 on the end of the door shaft 136. The arrangement is such that when the piston rod 192 is extended, the door 184 lies substantially flush against the front wall 88 of the machine housing, but when the rod 192 is retracted, as by the supply of fluid pressure to the motor 188, via a hose or conduit 1%, the door 184 is swung into a position to substantially block the discharge opening 36 of the machine 1d. The motor 1&8 is controlled by a two-way solenoid valve 193 connected into the conduit 1%. When the valve 1% is energized, the supply of fluid pressure to the motor 133 is interrupted and the latter is vented to atmosphere. When the valve 198 is de-energized, the motor is supplied with fluid under pressure. The relay 16d preferably is provided with a fourth set of normally-open contacts and the energizing coil of the valve 193 is connected in a series with those contacts, the switch 166, and with the transformer source of power 168, via conduct-ors 2%, 20 2%, 178, 18%, 182 and 133. From the foregoing it will be seen that when the motor 86 stops, on the opening of the weigh switch 164-, the door 13 closes to thereby quickly interrupt the further feeding of any fibers into the weigh pan 38 and thus insure better weighing accuracy.

The weigh pan 3% is dumped periodically by operation of a cam 29 3 driven in synchronism with the conveyor 142, as by being mounted on a shaft 216? driven directly by the rear roller 1 55 of the conveyor. The energizing circuit of the dumping solenoid valve 34 includes 21 normally-open switch 212 adapted to be closed for a brief interval during every revolution of the cam 2%. The switches 1&6 and 212 and the coil of the solenoid valve 84 are connected in series and supplied with power from the transformer 16% via conductors 211, 213, 178, 18%, 182 and 183.

The feeding of fibers by the machine Til is timed with the movement of the conveyor 142. so that a predetermined weight of fibers is periodically weighed out in the pan 3% and then the further feeding of fibers into the pan ceases because of the opening of the weigh switch 164 as aforedescribed, and thereafter the conveyor driven cam 2418 closes the switch 212 thus dumping the batch of fibers into the chute 136. The predetermined amount of fibers thus periodically dumped into the chute 136 is correlated with the amount of fibers being withdrawn from the chute :by the conveyor 142 in such a manner that a substantially constant quantity of fibers is maintained in the chute. In other words, the predetermined weight is maintained small enough and dumped frequent- 1y enough so that the height of the column of fibers in the chute 136 is relatively constant. In this manner, the density of the fibers at the bottom of the chute is maintained relatively constant, i.e., because of the substantially constant weight of fibers therea-bove, so that the thickness and density of the Web or stream of fibers being fed forwardly by the conveyor 142 remains substantially constant, as respects both the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of the moving stream.

A second cam 214 on the shaft 21% is adapted to periodically open the switch 162 in the energizing circuit for the relay 160. The cam 214 opens the switch 162 at the same moment that the cam 2% closes the dumping switch 212, but maintains the switch 162 open for a short time after the weigh pan 38 has been dumped betfore allowing the switch 152 to close. This interval of time during which the switch 162 is open is long enough to permit the weigh pan 3% to rise, the beamarm 42 to come to rest against the stop 62, and the dumping doors 7% to close before the motor 86 restarts to drive the machine 1% to again feed fibers into the weigh pan.

The energizing circuit for the solenoid valve 132 which controls the speed change mechanism of the machine 10 includes the switch 166, the Weigh switch 164 and the normally-open contacts of a cam-operated switch 216, all connected in series with the transformer source of power 163 by conductors 2. .8, 22%), 222, 224, 174, 174' 1.73, 1%, 182, and 183. A third cam 226 on the shaft 216 is adapted to periodically close the switch 216 during a last fractional part, e.g., one fourth, of the time interval between dumping cycles, i.e., between the times when the cam 2% closes the dump switch 212. From this arrangement it will be seen that if the weigh pan 38 has not received its predetermined weight of fibers, so that the weigh switch 154- is still closed, at the time that the cam 226 closes the switch 216, the valve 132 will be energized and thus shift the machine ill into high speed drive. Connected in parallel with the solenoid valve 132, via conductors 2251', 222, and 228 is a lamp 230. Thus, when the machine 16 is shifted into high speed drive the lamp 230 is lighted and signals the operator that such has occurred. If, on the other hand, the machine 162 feeds the predetermined weight of fibers into the weigh pan 3% before the cam .226 closes the switch 216, the machine ill will not be shifted into high speed drive because the energizing circuit for the solenoid valve 132 will have been interrupted by the opening of the weigh switch 164.

The foregoing speed changing arrangement serves the purpose of assuring that the selected predetermined weight of fibers has been received in the weigh pan 38 when the latter is dumped by the cam-operated switch 212. When the supply of fibers in. the hopper 16 of the machine It) is low, the machine feeds fibers at a somewhat slower rate than when such supply is high. Consequently, the foregoing speed change and signalling arrangement not only serves to assure that the machine 1% feeds the predetermined weight of fibers into the weigh pan 38 before the latter is dumped, but also serves as a signal to the operator that additional fibers are needed in the hopper 16.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the foregoing specific embodiment has been shown and described only for the punpose of illustrating the principles of this invention and is subject to extensive change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claim.

I claim:

Speed change apparatus including: parallel drive and driven shafts; a first gear fixed to one of said shafts; a second gear meshing with said first gear; means mounting said second gear for orbital movement about said one shaft; a pair of sheaves, one *lixed to said second gear and 'the other to the other of said shafts, one of said sheaves being of an efieetive diameter that is variable in accordance with the tension of a belt trained thereover; a. belt trained over said sheaves; and adjustable means for changing the orbital position of said second gear including a power-adjustable extensible and retraotible link means having one end thereof pivotally connected to said second gear mounting means, a manually swingable lever having the other end of said link ins-ans pivotally connected thereto, and detent means for retaining said lever in a selected position of pivotal adjustment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,551 Brarnwell Dec. 8, 1891 1,899,260 Clements Feb. 28, 1933 2,108,356 Twomley Feb. 15, 1938 2,200,101 Schmitter May 7, 1940 2,289,287 Hallinan July 7, 1942 2,422,196 Heyer June 17, 1947 2,698,602 Oleott Jan. 4, 1955 

